Release Notes for WS_FTP Server 6.1 and WS_FTP Server 6.1 with SSH

Ipswitch, Inc.

In this File

About this document

This document contains information on how to install and configure WS_FTP Server and WS_FTP Server with SSH. If you are using WS_FTP Server, portions of this document pertaining to SSH do not apply.

What is WS_FTP Server?

Ipswitch WS_FTP® Server is a highly secure, fully featured and easy-to-administer file transfer server for Microsoft Windows® systems. WS_FTP Server lets you create a host that makes files and folders on your server available to other people. Users can connect (via the Internet or a local area network) to your host, list folders and files, and (depending on permissions) download and upload data. Administrators can control access to data and files with granular permissions by folder, user, and group. Administrators can also create multiple hosts that function as completely distinct sites.

WS_FTP Server is proven and reliable. It is used by administrators globally to support millions of end users and enable the transfer of billions of files.

WS_FTP Server complies with the current Internet standards for FTP and SSL protocols. Users can connect to the server and transfer files by using an FTP client that complies with these protocols, such as Ipswitch WS_FTP Home or Ipswitch WS_FTP Professional.

WS_FTP Server with SSH also includes support for SFTP transfers over a secure SSH2 connection.

Administration

Performance

Security and Compliance

New in this release (6.1)

The release of WS_FTP Server 6.1 and WS_FTP Server 6.1 with SSH introduces the following new features and fixes:

System requirements

Tip: If a listed requirement is hyperlinked, you can click the link to get more information on obtaining and installing that prerequisite.

WS_FTP Server requires:

Ipswitch Notification Server requires:

All requirements for WS_FTP Server (above), plus:

WS_FTP Server Manager requires:

Upgrade notes

Upgrading from WS_FTP Server 6

Upgrading from 5.04 or higher

Upgrading from a version lower than 5.04

Changes related to upgrades from WS_FTP Server 5

Installing WS_FTP Server

Important:If upgrading from a previous version of WS_FTP Server, before running the installation program, see the Upgrade Notes in the previous section.

During the installation, a host using the internal WS_FTP Server user database is created. You can create hosts using Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Windows, or other external user database types after the install is completed.

Important: Installing WS_FTP Server on a domain controller is not recommended.

Important: Installing WS_FTP Server via Terminal Services is not recommended. You can use Terminal Services to install subsequent WS_FTP Server updates and installations.

To install WS_FTP Server:

  1. If you are using Microsoft IIS as your web server, before you begin the WS_FTP Server installation, confirm that Microsoft IIS is running and that you can access the Web site on which you will install the WS_FTP Server Manager web application.
  2. If you received an installation CD, insert it into a drive. If the Welcome screen does not appear, select Start > Run, and enter the drive path followed by launch.exe.

    Example: D:\launch.exe

    - OR -

    If you downloaded the software from our Web site, double-click the executable (.exe) file to begin the installation.

  3. On the installation Welcome screen, click Read to read the release notes or View to download and view an electronic copy of the Getting Started Guide. Click Next to continue. The License Agreement dialog appears.
  4. Read the license agreement carefully. If you agree to its terms, select I accept the terms of the license agreement and click Next. The Setup Type dialog appears.
  5. The Setup Type dialog lets you select from two installation methods, Express and Custom.
    • Express installs the WS_FTP web server and installs the following components to default locations: WS_FTP Server or WS_FTP Server with SSH, Ipswitch Notification Server, Ipswitch Logging Server, and PostgreSQL. The option to install WS_FTP Server with a Microsoft IIS web server, or with a SQL Server database, will not be available with express install.
    • Custom installation allows you to select the specific components you want to install and also specify locations for each component install. Custom install also allows you the option of using a Microsoft IIS web server and/or MS SQL Server database.
  6. Select the installation method you want to use, then click Next.

To use the express install option:

Important:The express installation option does not include the option of installing WS_FTP Server with Microsoft IIS as the web server, or Microsoft SQL Server as your database. If you wish to run WS_FTP Server with IIS or SQL Server, click the back button and choose the Custom install option.

  1. Enter the port that your WS_FTP Web Server will use. (The install will verify that the port is not in use.) Click Next.
  2. Verify or enter the fully qualified host name for this server. The installation program provides the host name of the server, but you may need to add domain information. This host name is used to create the first host.
  3. When you click Next, one of the following screens opens:
    • Specify a PostgreSQL Server and Administrator Account. This screen opens if PostgreSQL database server was previously installed on your computer. Go to step 4.
    • Create User Accounts. Continue to step 5.
  4. In the Administrator Password box, enter a System Administrator Password for access to the system administrator (sa) account for the PostgreSQL database that hosts WS_FTP Server data. Click Next. The Enter Host Name screen opens.
  5. The Create User Accounts screen opens. Set the appropriate options.
    • Create the WS_FTP Server system administrator account on this host. Select the host on which you want to create a system administrator account. If you are installing for the first time, only one host is available.
    • Username. Enter a username. This username is used to create:
      • a WS_FTP Server user to serve as the system administrator. This user belongs to the specified host, but is granted full system administrator permissions for all hosts on the server.
      • a non-privileged Windows user account named IPS_ plus the name you provide. For example, if you enter admin, the Windows user is named IPS_admin. This account is used by the configuration data store (PostgreSQL) and serves as the run-as user for the WSFTPSVR virtual folder.
    • Password and Confirm Password. Enter and confirm a password. This password is assigned to both the WS_FTP Server system administrator user and the Windows user account.

      Important: Your domain password policy may require that you use complex password rules. If so, make sure that you use a password that conforms to the domain requirements. The account will not be created without conforming to the domain password requirements.

  6. Click Next. The Ready to Install the Program screen opens.
  7. The install program is now ready to install the components you selected. Click Install. The install program installs and configures the components you selected. This may take a few minutes.

To use the custom install option:

  1. When you select the Custom install option, the Select Features screen opens. Select the checkboxes next to the components you want to install. Click Next.
  2. Choose the database you wish to use for WS_FTP Server: PostgreSQL or Microsoft SQL Server (you will be asked for configuration values later in the install).
  3. For each component that you selected, confirm the Destination Folder where the install program will install the component. To choose a new folder, select Browse and choose another folder. After you have made your selection, click Next. Repeat this step for each component (including the database components). When the destination folder for each component has been selected, the Select Web Host screen appears.
  4. Select the web server that you will use with WS_FTP Server. (If you select Microsoft IIS, be sure that IIS is running on the PC that you are installing to.) Click Next.
  5. If you chose the PostgreSQL database, enter the port that your WS_FTP Web Server will use. (The install will verify that the port is not in use.) Click Next.
  6. Next, enter the fully qualified host name for this server. The installation program provides the host name of the server, but you may need to add domain information. This host name is used to create the first host.
  7. When you click Next, one of the following screens apprears:
    • Specify a PostgreSQL Server and Administrator Account. This screen opens if PostgreSQL database server was previously installed on your computer. Go to step 8.
    • Create User Accounts. Continue to step 9.
  8. In the Administrator Password box, enter a System Administrator Password for access to the system administrator account for the PostgreSQL database that hosts WS_FTP Server data. Click Next. The Enter Host Name screen opens.
  9. The Create User Accounts screen opens. Set the appropriate options.
    • Create the WS_FTP Server system administrator account on this host. Select the host on which you want to create a system administrator account (if you are using WS_FTP Server). If you are installing for the first time, only one host is available.
    • Username. Enter a username. This username is used to create:
      • a WS_FTP Server user (if applicable) to serve as the system administrator. This user belongs to the specified host, but is granted full system administrator permissions for all hosts on the server.
      • a non-privileged Windows user account named IPS_ plus the name you provide. For example, if you enter admin, the Windows user is named IPS_admin. This account is used by the configuration data store (PostgreSQL) and serves as the run-as user for the WSFTPSVR Microsoft IIS virtual folder (if you use Microsoft IIS).
    • Password and Confirm Password. Enter and confirm a password. This password is assigned to both the WS_FTP Server system administrator user (if applicable) and the Windows user account. Click Next.

      Important: Your domain password policy may require that you use complex password rules. If so, make sure that you use a password that conforms to the domain requirements. The account will not be created without conforming to the domain password requirements.

      Important: The Windows user account must comply with the security policies on your Windows server. Once the install completes, verify that the account is not set to expire at the next logon and that you are aware of any expiration policies that apply to the account.

  10. If you chose Microsoft SQL Server for your database (in step 2), next you will be asked to enter the Server's name or IP address with the instance name (formatted as Server/Instance), a Port number (the install autofills SQl Server's default value of 1433), the Master Database Username, and Password. Click Next.
  11. If you chose Microsoft IIS as your web server, the Web Configuration screen opens. In the Use this Web site dropdown, select the preferred Internet Information Services (IIS) Web site. Click Next.
  12. The Ready to Install the Program screen opens, which will install the components you selected. Click Install. This may take a few minutes.

Fixed in 6.1

The following issues were addressed in this release:

Ipswitch would like to thank Secunia (secunia.com) for reporting the following issues, which have been fixed in this release:

IIS notes

Operating system notes

For more information about this local security policy, see "Act as part of the operating system" on the Microsoft Web site.

Database notes

After making the above changes, you must restart your PostgreSQL server.

Other notes

Uninstalling WS_FTP Server

  1. In the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs.
  2. Select Ipswitch WS_FTP Server, then click Change/Remove and follow the onscreen prompts to uninstall.

    The User Configuration Data Exists screen presents options for removing the configuration database:

    • Remove the WS_FTP Server configuration data from the data store
    • Remove the Ipswitch Notification Server configuration from the data store
    • Also, remove the PostgreSQL database server. (Note: You may have other databases on that server.)

If you want to maintain the configuration data in the database, for example when you plan to upgrade or migrate to another database, make sure that these options are not selected.

Restoring WS_FTP Server 5.x

To return to WS_FTP Server 5.x from WS_FTP Server 6.0:

  1. Locate the registry files (.REG) in the WS_FTP Server installation folder (usually C:\iFtpSvc\) and copy them to a safe location. These files contain the configuration information for WS_FTP Server 5.x. If you do not copy them to a safe location, they are removed when you uninstall WS_FTP Server 6.1 and WS_FTP Server 6.1 with SSH
  2. In the Add or Remove Programs window in the Windows control panel, select Ipswitch WS_FTP Server and select Change/Remove and follow the onscreen prompts to uninstall.
  3. Run the WS_FTP Server 5.x install program.
  4. Follow the onscreen prompts to complete the installation.

    Note: If you originally installed to a folder other than C:\iFtpSvc\, you must select Custom on the Setup Type screen and specify the same folder.

  5. Locate and double click on the IFTPSVC_BACKUP.REG file that you saved from the WS_FTP Server installation folder in Step 1. Select Yes on the confirmation dialog that appears.
  6. Open WS_FTP Server Manager and verify that your server has been restored to the condition it was in prior to installing WS_FTP Server 6.1 and WS_FTP Server 6.1 with SSH.

Note: If you need to restore the Ipswitch Notification Server, you must save the .REG files from the Ipswitch Notification Server installation folder (usually C:\iNotifySvc\) prior to uninstalling WS_FTP Server 6. Then, install Ipswitch Notification Server using the WS_FTP Server 5.x install program. When the install is complete, locate and double click the INOTIFYSVC_BACKUP.REG file you saved from the Ipswitch Notification Server installation folder.

For more assistance

For more assistance with WS_FTP Server, consult the following resources:


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